Chasing Cars
by josefwronski.feint
Summary: AU. How an accident throws Katniss in Peeta's life once again.
1. The Day Peeta's Car Gets A Boo Boo

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hunger Games.**

**My first attempt on writing a multi-chapter story.**

**Chapter 1: The Day Peeta's Car Gets A Boo Boo**

* * *

Peeta decided he must've immensely angered someone in his past life.

With a groan he inspected his wrecked rear bumper, mentally cursing his bad luck. He had just brought his car a week ago and he could just picture his older brothers' smirk and taunting about him not being able to drive properly. He heard a gasp from behind him and he turned to find his companion looking at the scene in absolute horror.

"Well, this is what I get for not accompanying you here earlier," he said with a light laugh.

"Oh my god, Peeta!" Delly Cartwright exclaimed, her hands covering her mouth. "This is my fault! If I didn't ask you to help me with the—"

"Whoa, hold up, Dells!" He interrupted, shaking his head at his friend. "This isn't your fault! Somebody just really sucks at parking, I guess."

Delly continued to look apologetic but nodded, leaning over to his right to inspect the damage closely. Patting her head comfortingly with his free hand, Peeta opened the trunk and proceeded to place the bags of groceries.

"Oh hey, look there's a note here!"

"Yeah? What does it say?" Peeta replied, clapping his hands clean and gently closing his trunk to avoid any more damage.

"It says, 'sorry for the damage,'" Delly began, skimming through the brief note. "The person left a number!"

"That's awfully nice," he remarked and took the note from Delly, folding it carefully and placing it in his breast pocket. "I'll call them as soon as I arrive home. You up for some ice cream?"

She grinned. "You know I'm always up for ice cream, especially in this heat!"

"At least you're wearing comfortable clothing," Peeta complained, loosening the first two buttons of his dress shirt. "I was stuck playing businessman the entire day!"

"How did the meeting go, by the way?" Delly asked as she allowed Peeta to lead her to the passenger seat. "Always the gentleman, Peeta Mellark."

"Force of habit," he said as he entered the car and started the engine. "The meeting went fine, dad was really pleased."

"As expected. You've always had a way with words."

"Thanks, Delly," he said with a grin. "And for that, you get a free ice cream."

"Don't you dare!" Delly exclaimed, slapping Peeta lightly on the arm. "I already owe you for helping me with my groceries today. Ice cream is on me!"

"You sure? It's not like I have anyone to spend my money on," he said, laughing as Delly rolled her eyes at him.

"And whose fault is that?"

"Hey! I wasn't the one who broke up with them!"

"The only reason they broke up with you is because you're obviously in love with someone else," Delly said in a matter-of-fact voice. "That's like, the biggest deal breaker, Mellark."

"I've been in love with the same girl since I was five, Dells," Peeta shrugged. "You of all people should know that."

"In love with a girl you haven't seen in five years!"

"It's a hard habit to break," He grinned. "Besides, I see her everyday."

Delly snorted.

"Oh, Delly, that's hardly ladylike!"

"Stop that, you know how much I hate it when my mother tells me that!" Delly admonished. "And seeing her face on a billboard does not count as seeing her every day!"

"Yeah well, it does for me," Peeta said as they finally arrived at the ice cream parlor. "Now, how about that ice cream, hmm?"

Delly smiled, her expression sad and knowing. "You're hopeless, Peeta Mellark," she said.

* * *

After he gave Delly a ride home, Peeta went straight to his home. He moved out right after college and chose a simple studio-type flat near his family so he can visit them as often as he can. With a sigh, he removed the tie and dress shirt he had been wearing, removing the note from earlier before throwing them in the laundry bin. He then took off his shoes and placed them against the wall near his bed. He checked at the clock on his wall and it read 8:00 in the evening.

"Probably alright to call them," he muttered to himself. He picked up his phone and dialed the number.

"Hello?"

His heart stopped. He can recognize that voice anywhere.

"Katniss?"


	2. The Day Katniss Gets A Call From Fate

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hunger Games.**

**Thank you, everyone, for the reviews and the favs.**

* * *

Katniss never believed in fate.

How can anyone believe in it? It's too convenient, isn't it, to believe that something other than you is in control of just about everything. It's illogical, lazy, and completely silly to believe in fate. She gets nauseous just thinking about it.

So imagine her great surprise when fate called her.

**Chapter 2: The Day Katniss Gets A Call From Fate**

"What have you gotten yourself into now, sweetheart?"

Katniss Everdeen rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore her agent as she aimed to toss her car keys into a small bowl about 15 feet away. With a flick of her wrist, the keys went straight in the bowl with a resounding _clunk_!

"Woooh!" Haymitch cheered, smirking at her. "Nice aim, Everdeen. Ever considered going into professional basketball?"

"No," she replied, heading straight for the fridge. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

"You're as charming as always."

Katniss glared at him, looking intimidating even with a mouth full of muffins that Haymitch smirked at the sight of her.

"Seriously, sweetheart, what have you gotten yourself into eh?" he asked again, bringing out a flask from his suit and chugging it down. Smiling as he felt the vodka burn his throat, he raised an eyebrow at his talent, daring her to object.

"One day you're going to die because of your drinking habits."

"But that is not today," countered Haymitch, taking another swig and causing Katniss to glower at him. "Stop that. You're starting to look like Effie."

"If you vomit here, I won't hesitate to kick you out."

Haymitch laughed, patting Katniss on the head affectionately. She scowled and slapped his hand away.

"What happened to your car today?" he smirked.

"Accident at Walmart," she replied curtly.

Haymitch shook his head, "I can't believe you. Amazing aim but absolutely no spatial reasoning! Did you at least apologize to the owner of the car you most probably totaled?"

"It was just a small bump!" Katniss said indignantly. "How did you even know about the damage in my car anyways?"

"Paparazzi caught a picture of it, it's all over the web," he replied. "Made a big deal out of it too. They're starting to speculate if you were drunk and hit a pole or something."

Katniss scoffed, taking a carton of milk from the fridge and gulping it down. With a satisfied sigh, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and threw the empty carton on a nearby trash bin.

"Classy," Haymitch remarked. "You really like throwing things around, doncha?"

"Would you like to see what I can do with a knife?"

"I assume with your _amazing_ conversational skills, you managed to apologize to the owner of the damaged car?" Haymitch inquired, changing the subject while eyeing the distance between Katniss and the kitchen knives thoughtfully.

"The person wasn't there, I left my number."

Haymitch's eyes widened so fast, Katniss could've sworn it was going to pop out in a millisecond.

"You what?" he hissed.

"What?"

"Kid, you can't just give your number to random people!" Haymitch said frustratingly, slapping his forehead. "You're a well-known figure!"

"You worry too much, Haymitch."

He felt an overwhelming urge to strangle her talent right then and there.

"Fine! If you get some freaky stalker, just remember I told you so." As an afterthought, he added, "and I'm telling Effie!"

Katniss groaned.

* * *

Later that night, after she finally shooed Haymitch away before he got too drunk to walk properly, Katniss retreated to her room with a mug of hot chocolate, her mind preoccupied with her mother and sister. She hasn't seen them in over three months; she had just gotten back from her Asian tour and was too tired to take another flight from Los Angeles to Kentucky. Mentally making her plans to visit them as soon as she is rested, she grabbed the remote on her bedside table turned on the television. She was greeted with the picture of her damaged car and the caption, "Katniss Everdeen, drunk driving?"

"_It seems that record-breaking singer Katniss Everdeen has gotten into trouble today! A picture of a damaged car that has been positively identified as belonging to the singer has been circulating around the Internet, fueling rumors that Katniss has been driving under the influence this late afternoon. A bit too early to be drunk, isn't it? Has Katniss been hanging out too much with her talent agent? Haymitch Abernathy is a known alco—_"

She turned off the television with a scowl.

Settling down her drink, she pulled out her phone and dialed home, realizing that her mother and sister have probably seen the news and were worried about her.

"Everdeen residence!"

She smiled.

"Hey, little duck."

"Katniss! Mom! It's Katniss!" she chuckled as the overjoyed voice of her sister burst through her phone's speakers. "I saw the news! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Prim," Katniss reassured her, hearing her relay the message to their mother. "Just a tad of carelessness on my part. How are you and mom? Doing well at med school?"

"We're good, Katniss. I'll tell you more when I actually see you. When are you coming to visit?"

"I'll just rest for a bit here in LA," Katniss said, failing to stifle a yawn. "Maybe in 5 days?"

"You must be really tired. It's only about a quarter before eight in the evening and I can already hear you yawning."

"Yeah," she agreed, letting out another yawn. "Listen, Prim, I'll go ahead and rest okay? I love you, tell mom I love her and I'll be going there soon."

After Prim said her goodbyes, Katniss finished her hot chocolate and got ready to go to bed. She was about to go under the covers when she heard her phone ring.

An unknown number.

With a frown, she answered, "hello?"

It took a couple of seconds before the person on the other line spoke.

"Katniss?"

Katniss noted that his (because it was definitely a male) voice shook, full of disbelief. Her frown deepened, the voice sounded oddly familiar.

"Yes," she replied curtly. "Who is this?"

"Katniss, it's Peeta. Peeta Mellark."

Her breathing stopped.

_Shit._


	3. The Night Peeta Talks To His It Girl

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hunger Games.**

**Hello, everyone! I'm so sorry for the long wait. I started this story out of impulse and up to now I'm still not sure where it's going. I guess it's part of the fun, right? **

**I just want to remind everyone that this story is AU for a reason, so expect some OOC from the characters. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Peeta believes in fate.

He finds it comforting knowing everything happens for a reason, that there's a person out there that's meant for him and only him and that no matter what, they will always find their way to each other.

Peeta Mellark is a hopeless romantic and he has always believed Katniss Everdeen is that person for him.

Of course, fate is not letting them off that easily.

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Night Peeta Talks To His It Girl**

* * *

"Who is this?"

Peeta could hear the curtness of her voice, and the sound is so familiar that it made him smile.

"Katniss, it's Peeta. Peeta Mellark," he replied, managing to keep his voice steady this time.

There was a very pregnant pause before he heard her say anything. "How did you get my number?" she asked softly.

"You gave it to me. Uhm… you bumped into my car this morning at Walmart."

He heard her groan loudly.

"That was you!"

"Yeah," Peeta laughed, running a hand through his hair out of habit. It's really been to long since he last saw _or_ heard from her. "Funny coincidence, right?"

He heard her groan again before she said, "Listen, I'm sorry about that. How much would the damage cost?"

"Probably a few hundreds, but don't bother, Katniss. The insurance will take care everything," he replied. "How are you? How are Prim and your mom?"

He remembers Primrose Everdeen with fondness; the girl could very well be his own little sister. They even share the same blond hair and blue eyes that the wealthier part of their small town all seems to share. He never really saw Mrs. Everdeen much since she spends more time in the hospital than she than she does at her own home, but he guesses it's part of the job description when you're one of the few people with medical expertise in a small town.

He snapped out of his reverie when he heard Katniss speak, "I'm fine. They're fine."

"They're still living at Kentucky?"

"Yeah."

"That's good to hear, Prim wanted to go to med school right? How's that turning out for her?"

"She's doing great," Katniss replied shortly. "Listen, I need to get going. Are you sure you don't want anything for your car?"

"Don't worry about the car."

"Great, so… have a good night, Peeta," she said awkwardly. He heard her make a noise on the other end of the phone, as if she was getting ready to end the call. Panicking, he said loudly, "Hey, Katniss, wait up! You want to meet up sometime?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end and Peeta, thinking he was too late, was about to press the end call button on his own phone when he heard Katniss voice once again.

He quickly placed the phone back on his ear. "Sorry, I didn't catch that. What were you saying?" he asked, sighing in relief that he managed to catch her just in time.

"I said, 'what?' I thought I heard you say something."

"Oh yeah! I, well," Peeta stammered as he started to pace around his room while scratching the back of neck. He has to be very careful in what he says next. "I said would you… probably want to meet up some time? You're in LA, right? I'm here, too. We can… I don't know... grab coffee or something."

Peeta heard her sigh deeply and felt a painful twinge in his heart. He knew what was coming.

"That's not a good idea, Peeta," she said bluntly.

Peeta was starting to feel like she doesn't want to talk to him.

"I haven't seen you in five years, Katniss," he tried again. He can imagine her biting her lower lip in frustration because of his persistence, and the image caused another painful twinge in his heart.

"I have to go," she whispered to him softly.

Peeta felt the bubble of frustration inside him burst and before he could stop himself he said, "You know, it's kind of hard to carry on a conversation with you when it sounds like you don't want to talk."

"That's because I _don't_ want to talk to you," she retorted, equally quick. "I don't want to see you, Peeta."

So that was it. He was back to square one with Katniss Everdeen maybe not even on the same ground with her. _Not that it matters_, Peeta thought to himself angrily. _With Katniss, I never know where I'm at._

The call ended before he could even reply.

Groaning, he quickly searched through his contact list. When he finally found the person he was looking for, he pressed call and placed the phone on his ear.

"Delly? Are you game for a drink? Yeah? Great, I'll be at your place in ten minutes."

* * *

Katniss pressed the end call button on her phone, slamming it on her bedside table angrily. She stood up abruptly and marched to her bathroom, stripping all her clothes and turning the shower on to the hottest setting that her skin can bear. With a sigh, she allowed the water to massage her body for a full minute before she reached for her shampoo and soap, and proceeded to clean her hair and the rest of her body.

She allowed herself to stay in the shower for a quarter of an hour, silently going through her conversation with Peeta Mellark in her head. That boy makes her so angry! Mentally growling, she turned the shower off and proceeded to dry her hair and body with a towel before putting on her sleepwear.

Tossing the used towels in her laundry bin, she exited her bathroom and plopped herself in her bed.

Katniss was about to go to sleep when she heard her phone's message tone. Grumbling profanities to herself, she reached out to her bedside table and opened the message. It was from Peeta.

_Katniss, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said. If you ever need me for anything, you know my number._

Katniss stared at his message for several seconds before promptly deleting it.

Sweet, caring, selfless Peeta Mellark. He hasn't changed a bit.


End file.
